Teton PT: Who Is Talking About Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation?

Newsletter WHO IS TALKING ABOUT PELVIC FLOOR REHABILITATION? Health &Wellness

Teton Physical Therapy and St. John’s Medical Center are designing and implementing a Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation program. Why is this topic important? Pelvic floor rehabilitation is essential to address because women and men of all ages suffer in silence within our community. Pelvic health is often difficult to discuss because it is an intimate topic and people often feel a sense of embarrassment about their symptoms. It is estimated that 1 out of every 5 Americans (of every age) suffer from some type of pelvic floor dysfunction at some time in their life. Pelvic floor dysfunction is not normal or a normal part of aging. The good news is that it can be treated successfully. The biggest hurdle is education so we are making a commitment to this community to speak loud and clear about our services in Pelvic Health rehabilitation. What is my pelvic floor? The pelvic floor is a combination of internal muscles that form a sling inside the bones of the pelvis and external muscles that cover the outside of the pelvis. The pelvic floor musculature connects to the greater musculoskeletal system throughmuscle, tendons, ligaments, fascia and your nervous system. Pelvic floor dysfunction can often be an underlying cause of pain and dysfunction elsewhere in the body. What role does the pelvic girdle play in our body? The muscles assist in supporting the abdominal and pelvic organs, and help to control bladder, bowel and sexual activity. The pelvic floor is a part of every movement we do. It acts like a trampoline when we walk, jump, do squats or go from a sit to a stand. It needs to respond appropriately with

every movement we make.

Symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction vary; they may include pelvic pain, genital pain, urinary dysfunction (feeling like you have to pee all the time or not being able to get to the rest room on time), bowel dysfunction (constipation or fecal incontinence) and sexual dysfunction. Patients may complain of sexual pain (dyspareunia), Coccydynia (pain in the tailbone) painful sitting, low back pain, hip/groin pain, menstrual pain or feelings of pressure at the vaginal or anal opening which could indicate a condition called prolapse.